We’re pretty excited to have the OPST crew in camp this week at Alaska West. That’s Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics for those who aren’t aware. Why are we so excited? Because they’ve been pumping out some pretty innovative stuff for those of us who like, no love, skagit style spey casting.. Not to mention that the company…
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Alaska West
Rigging Beads for Trout – 3 Methods
It’s that time of year again. Our early run salmon (namely king, chum, and sockeye) are in full spawning mode, and because of that our rainbow trout and dolly varden are impatiently waiting for any lone salmon egg that happens to come tumbling down river. Salmon eggs are an easy meal for trout and dollies…
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Salmon Fishing – 6 Reasons This Fly Works
We’re really lucky in that most of the fish we target at our locations are not overly picky about specific fly patterns. Our lodges are located (intentionally, we might add) in areas where lots of different flies work, so long as they share a few characteristics. It’s a creative fly tyer’s dream! Here at Alaska…
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Ringer
Those that have visited with us in the past know that horseshoes are a bit of a tradition here at Alaska West. We just built our new horseshoe pit, and we’re pretty excited about it. We’re all about good fishing, but we also think a good fishing trip is about the full experience, and a good day…
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Three Good Articles – Significant Other Edition
It’s ‘three good articles’ time here on the Deneki blog, where we highlight three fly fishing articles from other websites that we enjoyed and think you will too. Lately a few of our fishing favorite blogs have posted about fishing with (or without) significant others. We really like sharing our waters with fishy couples, so…
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Transpore Surgical Tape – Ideal for Anglers
Line cuts, hook wounds, stripping burns, chum teeth, and so on.. If you’re like us and spend a lot of time on the water, your hands can get pretty beat up. Most of the time we doctor our hands up with duct tape to get through the day. No, it’s probably not the most hygienic…
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Managing Running Line for Less Tangles
When it comes to spey fishing, we talk a lot about managing running line. That’s because it’s really important for casting mid-long distances. There are lots of great ways to manage running line when spey casting, and what works for some does not always work for others. For example, some anglers prefer to pinch loops…
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Simms Dry Creek Boat Bags
We’ve long been fans of the original Dry Creek Boat Bags from Simms. In fact, it’s safe to say that the majority of our guides have logged more days on the water with the original Dry Creek bags than any other boat bag on the market. Why? It’s simple. They can fits lots of gear, they keep that gear…
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Bear Track
Contrary to popular belief, at Alaska West we don’t see too many bears over the course of the day. Unlike other parts of Alaska, bears in our neck of the woods are not very comfortable around people, so when we’re lucky to spot one, it’s usually a ways off. That’s not to say they’re not…
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Trout Spey Techniques: The Hang Down Drop-Back
Rapids Camp Lodge head guide, Tom Provost, is no newbie to swinging flies for trout and today he fills us in on how he targets trout during the most neglected part of the swing, the hang down. Thanks Tom! Swinging for Trout – The Hang Down Drop-Back When swinging for trout or other aggressive species, the dirtiest…
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